This invention relates to a guiding device for a distributor for winding a cable on a flanged reel, which guiding device comprises
a traverse arm supported by a traversing device of the distributor, said arm comprising PA1 a supporting means forming a path of movement for guiding the cable to a free end of the traverse arm, and PA1 a guiding means provided at said free end of the traverse arm for displacing said path of movement of the cable with respect to the flanges of the reel, PA1 whereby the traverse arm is mounted on the traversing device rotatably around said path of movement of the cable.
When winding a cable on a reel, a distributor is used for guiding the cable to be positioned between the flanges of the reel in successive layers formed by adjacent revolutions. A guiding device provided in the distributor is supported by a traverse arm to extent between the flanges of the reel and is displaced to and fro from flange to flange by a traversing device of the distributor, when the cable is wound around the rotated reel. The object of the guiding device is to ensure that the cable is wound in regular layers in which the revolutions are situated accurately side by side following each other. It has proved difficult to wind the cable around the reel in the vicinity of the flanges, especially in deformed reels with twisted flanges. In this kind of reels, the cable tends to form gaps between the cable and the flange and to "climb" too early up on the preceding revolution beside the flange, thereby forming a protrusion at said point. All this disturbs a regular winding of the cable on the reel. The guiding device is intended to provide a positive guiding of the cable to a proper position with respect to the flanges of the reel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,355 discloses a distributor which is provided with a guiding device for guiding the winding of a cable. The guiding device comprises a traverse arm supported by a traversing device, whereby the cable passes along one side of said arm towards the end thereof. A number of rolls provided with peripheral grooves and serving as supporting means are mounted for the cable at the end of the traverse arm. The support rolls are pressed against the cable from opposite sides, thus determining the path of movement of the cable. In addition, a press roll is mounted at the end of the traverse arm, which roll presses the cable sideways against the flange of the reel or the preceding cable revolution. Further, a detector of a capacitance type is provided at the end of the traverse arm, which detector detects the vicinity of the flange without contacting said flange and sends electrically proper guiding impulses to the traversing device for the traverse arm.
The most important disadvantage of the known guiding device is that the guiding head of the device is of a complex construction as well as liable to damage. The rolls guiding the cable must be accurately mounted on the traverse arm without any clearance and each cable size requires roll provided with peripheral grooves of a corresponding size. The same applies to the press roll of the traverse arm. Both the rolls and the detector project from the side of the traverse arm towards the flange of the reel. This causes a risk that a protruding board or other distortion of the flange of a deformed wooden reel may hit the set of rolls during the rotation of the reel, thus causing damage to the rolls and the detector.